St. Marys Junction station was a
Grand Trunk Railway station located one kilometre north of
St. Marys, Ontario
St. Marys is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the north branch of the Thames River and Trout Creek southwest of Stratford, and is surrounded by the Township of Perth South in Perth County, Ontario. St. ...
. It operated as a train station from 1858 until 1941, and remained in service for non-passenger functions until the 1970s. It is now home to a microbrewery.
The railway junction itself no longer exists as the former Grand Trunk railway directly from St. Marys to Sarnia has been abandoned. All trains from St. Marys to Sarnia travel instead along the route to London, and the former
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
from London to Sarnia. A water tower on opposite side of tracks was later removed. The one sided platform was removed and grassed over.
The station was initially fenced off with doors and windows boarded up. Windows and doors have since been restored with only track side fenced off. Since December 2020 the station is home to an independent micro brewery Broken Rail Brewing.
Minimum changes were made to exterior with upgrades to interior to support the functioning brewing operations.
Structure
The station building was designed according to the standard Grand Trunk Railway 'A First Class Way Side Station' plan developed by British architect Francis Thompson.
The passenger facilities consisted of a ticket area, a luggage room and separate 'ladies' and 'gentlemen' waiting rooms.
History
St. Marys station opened in 1858 as the western terminus of the Grand Trunk Railway line from Toronto, located fully outside the town of St Marys. The Town of St. Marys opposed the selection of such a remote station location, instead recommending a location near the town centre.
[
The Grand Trunk Railway was extended west to Sarnia in 1859 and south to London in 1860, with the two branches meeting at St. Marys station. As a result, St. Marys station became St. Marys Junction and the station building became the control point for the switches at the rail junction.][
In 1879, St. Marys Town GTR station opened within the town on the branch toward London, providing a more convenient access to the town centre than St. Marys Junction station.][
The station was closed in 1941,]
See also
* St. Marys railway station (Ontario)
St. Marys station in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada is a staffed railway station used by Via Rail's Corridor intercity train service and GO Transit's Kitchener line regional train service. The station is served by two daily trains in each direction ...
References
External links
{{Commons category-inline, St. Marys Junction Railway Station
Grand Trunk Railway stations in Ontario
Disused railway stations in Canada
Railway stations in Canada opened in 1858
Designated heritage properties in Ontario
Railway stations in Perth County, Ontario
Rail junctions in Ontario